Adult dogs have 42 teeth, which is 10 more than an adult human. Puppies have 28, and lose every one of them. Use the tool below to see the full breakdown, or to estimate a dog’s age from what their mouth looks like.
Accurate up to about 7 months, a rough guide after that.
General guidance, not a dental examination. Gum disease is painful long before most dogs show it, so a vet should check the mouth properly at least once a year.
How many teeth do dogs have?
An adult dog has 42 permanent teeth. A puppy has 28 baby teeth, all of which fall out. The gap between those two numbers is explained by one thing: puppies grow no molars at all.
| Tooth type | Puppy | Adult | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incisors | 12 | 12 | Small front teeth for nibbling and grooming |
| Canines | 4 | 4 | The fangs, for gripping and holding |
| Premolars | 12 | 16 | Shearing teeth along the sides of the mouth |
| Molars | 0 | 10 | Flat grinding teeth at the back |
| Total | 28 | 42 |
The two jaws differ too. An adult dog carries 20 teeth in the upper jaw and 22 in the lower, because the lower jaw has an extra pair of molars.
Written as a dental formula, the way a vet would: permanent teeth are 2 x (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3) = 42, and baby teeth are 2 x (i 3/3, c 1/1, p 3/3) = 28.
When do dogs get their teeth?
Baby teeth arrive in the first weeks of life and are gone before the first birthday.
- Baby teeth come through from around 2 to 5 weeks of age. Sources vary slightly: Merck gives 3 to 5 weeks, the AKC says 2 to 4.
- All 28 are usually in place by 5 or 6 weeks.
- Shedding starts at about 12 to 16 weeks, and most owners never find the teeth because puppies swallow them.
- Adult teeth finish arriving somewhere between 6 and 7 months.
For a dated version of this against your own puppy’s birthday, use our puppy development timeline.
Can you tell a dog’s age from their teeth?
Up to about 7 months, yes, and quite well: which teeth are present is a reliable clock while the mouth is still changing. After that it gets much vaguer. Tartar and wear depend on diet, chewing habits, breed and whether anyone has ever brushed them, so a 3 year old fed on soft food can have a worse mouth than a 7 year old who chews daily.
This is also why a rescue dog’s paperwork often says “approximately 4 years”. That estimate came from a mouth, and the vet who wrote it knew its limits.
Dental disease is the thing worth worrying about
What to look for, and what to do:
- Bad breath is not normal. It is the most common first sign owners notice and it usually means bacteria under the gum line.
- Red or bleeding gums, brown tartar, drooling, dropping food or chewing on one side all warrant a check.
- Dogs hide dental pain well. Many owners only realise their dog was uncomfortable when they see how much brighter it is after a dental procedure.
- Brushing is the single most effective thing you can do at home, ideally daily, with a toothpaste made for dogs. Human toothpaste is not safe for them.
- Retained baby teeth, where a baby tooth sits beside its adult replacement, trap food and crowd the mouth, and usually need removing.
Frequently asked questions
How many teeth do dogs have?
How many teeth do puppies have?
Do dogs have more teeth than humans?
At what age do dogs lose their baby teeth?
Is it normal for a dog to lose adult teeth?
Where these numbers come from
- Tooth counts and dental formulas: the Merck Veterinary Manual on dentition and dental nomenclature, which gives 42 permanent teeth as 2 x (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3) and 28 deciduous teeth as 2 x (i 3/3, c 1/1, p 3/3).
- Eruption timings: the same Merck entry, alongside the AKC’s Puppy Teething Timeline.
- Periodontal disease prevalence: the Merck Veterinary Manual on periodontal disease in small animals, which states that up to 80% of dogs have some level of periodontal disease by age 2.